Deroy Murdock: “Pete Hegseth For VA Secretary”

On Thursday, nationally acclaimed writer Deroy Murdock published an op-ed for National Review endorsing veteran Pete Hegseth as the most qualified person to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hegseth, a former Army National Guard infantry Captain and current Fox News host, is currently being considered by Donald Trump to lead the department. The two had a meeting to discuss the position at Trump Tower last month. In the piece, Murdock contests that there is no greater man for the job and goes on to cite American Military News’ exclusive comments from Newt Gingrich saying that “no one has been more effective than Pete Hegseth in advocating reform of veterans health.”

“President-elect Donald J. Trump should nominate soldier and veterans advocate Pete Hegseth as his secretary of veterans affairs,” Murdock says. “The VA bureaucracy has devolved into a house of horrors, and this energetic, telegenic, passionate reformer is exactly the man to upend it.”

Murdock goes on to say that the 36-year-old Army National Guard vet’s age should be seen not as a disadvantage, but as a fresh change for Millennials and Gen Xers who are tired of things being run by a generation that doesn’t represent them. Though he may be one of the youngest candidates considered for the job, Murdock notes that “his youth notwithstanding, Hegseth has seen plenty.”

Between combatting terrorism in Afghanistan and guarding Islamic terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Hegseth proved to be an outstanding service member and earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Beyond all of his service in the military, his service out of the military has been nothing short of phenomenal, Murdock acknowledges.

With Hegseth’s time as the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), he managed to have a tremendous amount of influence in the creation and passing of the Veterans Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act and the VA Management Accountability Act. Congress passed both bills with large bipartisan majorities, which was then signed into law by the President. He adds that to switch of the status quo found on the left, Hegseth will be able to get into the Department and push for things like “veterans choice” which is essential in allowing vets to get the proper care in a timely manner.

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“The VA gives vets hepatitis and AIDS, lets insects gnaw at their flesh, and outright kills them as they wait, and wait, and wait for care,” Murdock writes. “This emergency requires an invasion. Major Pete Hegseth has the record, the brains, and the guts to lead the charge.”